Han Solo, Leia and Chewie are back in the third and final Star Wars trailer, alongside newcomers Finn, Rey and Poe Dameron. But what does the footage tell us about JJ Abrams's new film?

As trailers go, JJ Abrams's latest effort – our final glimpse at the director's forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens ahead of its release this December – is pretty secretive: heavy on the atmosphere and spectacle, but refreshingly light on expositional detail.

That said, it isn’t completely bereft of new information. Here's a quick round-up of some of the more exciting facts we've managed to glean from the new footage.

1. Someone has a thing for flags

Could this intriguing-looking new location – approached by Finn (John Boyega), Han (Harrison Ford)and BB-8 in the new Star Wars trailer – be the castle home of Lupita Nyong’o’s character, pirate Maz Kanata? We’ve not yet seen Kanata – but Nyong’o’s voice can be heard on the voiceover for the trailer. And, thanks to Indierevolver, we know that she looks a bit like the picture below.

2. There are some pretty cool looking new robots

Obviously, adorable rollerball droid BB-8 is still our top new Force Awakens bot (and yes, we’ve already caved in and emptied our bank accounts to purchase the equally adorable, if regrettably expensive Sphero replica). But in the castle scene described above, there's also a tall red worker robot, with vaguely humanoid “hands”. According to the Telegraph’s Robbie Collin, he (or she, or it?) looks a bit like one of the robots from Studio Ghibli’s 1986 animated film, Castle in the Sky. Either way, there’s a definite fairy-tale –like feel aspect to this scene: a reminder that the Star Wars universe isn’t just a place of blazing guns and epic, high tech space battles, but of cloud cities, grotesque monsters and hidden alien underworlds.

3. John Boyega is a bad stormtrooper gone good

"I was raised to do one thing, but I've got nothing to fight for," says John Boyega’s character Finn in the new trailer. To us, these words all but confirm the previous story rumours: Finn isn't wearing the uniform of an Imperial trooper as some sort of disguise. Instead, he's a bona fide stormtrooper who presumably undergoes a change of heart and decides to join the rebels.

4. Han and Chewie are going to forced to surrender (or dance)

At one point in the trailer, the pair look as if they’ve been forced to suddenly surrender. Or dance to Steps. Either way, we’re deeply worried about our two favourite Star Wars buddies.

5. Poe and Finn are mates

While we’re on the subject of buddies, the trailer also makes it look as if Oscar Isaac’s character Poe Dameron and Finn have some sort of camaraderie going on, suggesting that they’ll end up fighting on the same side.

6. Han and Leia will have a moment

While it's lovely to see the pair reunited – and to see Carrie Fisher reprising her most famous role – we're concerned by just how troubled Leia looks in this brief shot (if Han Solo were hugging us, we’d definitely be smiling). They might still be together, but it looks as if things aren't going to be all that easy for the couple.

7. Kylo Ren really is the ultimate Vader fanboy

“Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish what you started,” says Ren in the new trailer – apparently addressing Darth Vader's rather grotty-looking old helmet. While this suggests that our new villain’s obsession with the legendary Sith Lord and former leader has got more than a little out of control, others have hinted that Ren may have a more personal connection to Vader. Could the red lightsaber-wielding baddie be the son of Luke Skywalker, grandson of Anakin Skywalker (aka Vader)– and possibly even the long-lost brother of Daisy Ridley’s Rey (who has a definitely Skywalker look to her)? Twins do run in families, after all…

8. Luke is still missing

That last bit of speculation leads us on to the most enduring mystery yet: where on earth is Mark Hamill’s Luke? (NB: he’s very definitely not on Earth).

Fans have already claimed that the cloaked figure seen in the trailer reaching out towards R2D2 – robot hand just visible – is most likely Luke, and we’re inclined to agree. But why all the mystery? Previous rumours have suggested that the former Jedi has become a sort of recluse, remaining hidden for most of the film: according to a Digital Spy rumours round-up, he could be “in a self-imposed exile to guard an ancient Sith tomb from Kylo Ren”).

Others have suggested that there could be a twist in store, and that Luke himself may have turned to the dark side. While this may seem a little farfetched (Luke’s supposed to be a hero!), it would certainly explain the character’s absence from all the promotional material so far.